


The Queenship She Hadn't Expected

by animenutcase



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 00:24:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7779514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animenutcase/pseuds/animenutcase
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It hadn't been the crown she'd imagined as a child, but she was willing to accept it, nonetheless.</p><p>Or: Nanna finds she has more in common with Teeny's annoying older brother than she cares to admit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Queenship She Hadn't Expected

Truth be told, she hadn't given Arthur much thought when they first met. He was loud, stubborn, obnoxious, but very determined and focused when he needed to be.

At the time, Nanna had noticed that he had been giving odd looks toward Leif and Fee - mostly because she had been doing the same.

Nanna knew that Pegasus Knights were really only found in Silesse, and the tome in Arthur's hand told her he had a _very_ strong connection to it. He had most likely joined the liberation army with Fee after going to Isaach from Silesse. And judging by the way he looked at Leif and Fee, he was jealous.

"Are you okay with this?" She asked him as they made preparations to attack Alster the next day. "He might just steal her away, you know?"

Arthur just stared at her for a moment before asking "Are _you_ okay with it?"

Nanna must have frowned, because he smirked at her and said,

"I mean, you didn't name any names, so you had to know that I'd know who you're talking about." He reasoned. "And since we just met you guys the other day, there's really only one guy you could be talking about, since he's the only one you'd have any reason to care about. And there's only one girl you could be talking about, since she's the only one who's spent a lot of time with you guys."

Nanna had to admit she was impressed.

"You really are King Lewyn's son."  
"Oh? What gave me away?"  
"The Forseti Tome, for one..."  
"Makes sense."  
"And what appears to be your Brand in the small of your back."  
"WHAT!?"

Now it was Nanna's turn to smirk as Arthur hastily pulled the back of his shirt down.

"I'll admit that I'm rather surprised." She giggled. "I'd heard that Blume's nieces had been sneaking out to help the nearby villages, but I never would have guessed that one of them was secretly a princess."  
"She doesn't know." Arthur frowned. "Blume abducted her and our mother from Silesse when she was a baby."  
"Oh." Nanna shifted awkwardly. "I'm sorry."

She stared at her feet for a moment.

"At least you'll get a chance to confront him tomorrow?" She offered.  
"And believe me, I'll be taking full advantage of it." Arthur smirked wickedly. "I'd originally wanted to burn down Alster with fire magic, but-"  
"One, you're one of the only two people in the world capable of wielding the most powerful wind tome in existence. You have absolutely no need for fire magic." Nanna shook her head. "Two, Forseti has an advantage over Mjölnir, so fire magic would counterproductive. Three, Alster is the only castle large enough to house all of us when the Empire inevitably sends more troops.

"We've already dealt with most of the soldiers at Alster. Chances are the only ones still there are Blume and a handful of his guards." Nanna continued. "I will _not_ have you leave us exposed to the elements _and_ exposed to possible threats from the Empire just to get rid of maybe five people tops."  
"So you would have been fine with burning down Alster if it took more soldiers down with it?" Arthur raised an eyebrow at her. "You're a lot scarier than you look."  
"I'll take that as a compliment." Nanna curtsied politely. "My mother, Princess Lachesis, saw her life at Nordion collapse around her and had to fight to survive. Meanwhile, my father grew up in Verdane as its royal family began to fall apart on itself. This sword..."

Nanna held up a Thief Sword.

"...was a gift from my father to my mother that she passed down to me, so that I would be able to care for myself if she didn't return or if something ever happened to Finn. Robbing someone is certainly wrong, so I've only used it once or twice, and only on bandits I've run into..."  
"But you _have_ used it." Arthur finished for her.

Nanna returned the sword to its sheath and stared at Arthur, her resolve made of steel.

"My parents both fought to survive, and as their daughter I am proud to have inherited that strength from them." She declared. "But they never let what they had to do define them, and they never engaged in unnecessary cruelty or destruction. I don't intend to, either."  
"Makes sense." Arthur nodded. "I don't have a lot of memories of my mother, but I know that she was a kind, happy person. Teeny said that she spent her last days in misery, and for that alone I can't let Blume live, but the last thing I want is to become like him."  
"Oh?"  
"From what I've heard, Blume was very close to his father, Duke Reptor of Freege." Arthur explained. "When Sigurd's army marched to Belhalla, he was the last obstacle in the way. You can guess how that ended. In fact, I heard rumors that my father was the one who killed him."  
"And so Blume took his grief and rage at his father's death out on King Lewyn's wife, Blume's own sister." Nanna felt her eyes narrow as she resisted the urge to ask why Arthur hadn't simply asked his father himself if it was true. "How... disgustingly petty."

Arthur fell silent, but Nanna could tell that talking about it had upset him.

"At any rate, we'll be counting on you tomorrow." She said quietly as she moved to exit the tent. "Get some rest, Arthur."

\--------------------------------------

The next day, Arthur confronted his uncle, but was unable to kill him before he warped away. Nanna suspected that he had warped himself to Connote. They didn't get much time to speculate on it, however, as Teeny collapsed at that moment, the victim of a poorly-treated cold combined with the stress of all that had happened in the past few days. After making sure she was safely in bed where she could rest, the army allowed itself a brief pause.

That evening, Nanna made her way to Teeny's room to heal her. Lana would have been a better choice, but she herself had been exhausted by the battle with Blume's last remaining soldiers, who had put up more of a fight than they'd expected. Nanna agreed to take care of Teeny while Julia handled any remaining injuries in the rest of the troops so that Lana could rest. Once she arrived, she was startled when the door opened and out came King Lewyn himself. He nodded, understanding why she was there, and left. When she entered the room, however, she discovered that Teeny had more than one visitor.

Arthur was standing in the room with an oddly blank look on his face. Nanna ignored him and gently held her stave over Teeny, who stirred slightly as Nanna began healing.

"Nanna...?" She whispered as she blinked sleepily at her. "Was it... Were you the one holding my hand just now?"  
"I'm afraid not, Teeny. I just got here." Nanna shook her head.  
"Oh... That makes sense." Tenny closed her eyes. "The hand was a lot bigger... than yours. It was like a grown man's."

Teeny yawned and said no more.

When Nanna finished healing, she put a hand on Arthur's arm. Arthur, taking the hint, allowed Nanna to escort him from the room.

"I can understand wanting to look after her, but it won't do if you get sick as well." She gently scolded him after making sure the door was shut.  
"My father told me not to tell her anything." Arthur replied.  
"Hmm?"  
"With all that was going on with Darna and Alster, I hadn't gotten a chance to tell her about our father." Arthur explained. "But just now, I found Father in here and he told me not to tell her anything!"  
"Didn't you discuss with him what you'd do when you found Teeny beforehand?"  
"I didn't even know he was here." Arthur shook his head. "I thought I saw a glimpse of him in Rivough, but I thought it was just my imagination."  
"That was weeks ago! Has he been avoiding you this whole time!?"

Arthur fell silent for a moment, as though debating whether or not to tell her. Finally, he let out a sigh and began speaking.

"For as long as I can remember, Father has been... weird." He began. "He frequently disappeared for weeks, even months at a time. When he was around, there were days he treated me like his son, but on other days he felt like a stranger."

Arthur went on to explain that his father frequently seemed to suffer from amnesia, and it was never consistent. Nanna learned that Arthur _had_ asked his father about Duke Reptor's death, but he couldn't remember what Arthur had been talking about.

"After my grandmother died, Fee's mother was appointed to be the Queen of Silesse." He continued. "Since she didn't have any holy blood, the Empire didn't deem her a threat and allowed her to work as an "administrator", so to speak. Basically, she was in charge on paper, but the Empire was the one in control. She knew that I'd be in danger, and arranged for me and Amid to be raised by the surviving members of her Pegasus Knight squad. Unfortunately, the Empire was already aware that I existed and was actively hunting for me, so he and I had to be passed around between the squad members, who were scattered across the country. Within a few years, all of them were dead. And a couple years ago, Fee's mother died of illness."  
"Where was your father throughout all of this?" Nanna asked, feeling angry on Arthur's behalf.  
"Here and there." Arthur shrugged. "He's spent the past seventeen years trying to undermine the Empire in any way he can, and like I said, half the time he doesn't even remember that I'm his son, so I can't really be too mad at him, can I?"  
"I would."

Arthur turned to look at Nanna with a frown.

"My father died to keep my mother and I safe, and my mother almost certainly died in her quest to find my brother." Nanna scoffed. "Lewyn couldn't remember his own son, but apparently he found the time to raise a girl he found lying in the street! Doesn't that make you angry?"  
"I'd be lying if I said it didn't, but..." Arthur scowled, but Nanna saw tears forming at the corner of his eyes. "But he's still my dad. I can't get my mother back, but my father is still alive, and I've found my sister. Once the war is over, we can really be a family."

Instantly, Nanna's anger began to dissipate, replaced by guilt. Arthur's burdens bore only a slight resemblance to hers, but they were his to bear. She would not be able to forgive Lewyn had he been her father, but that did not give her the right to be angry at Arthur for doing so.

"I... I apologize, Arthur." She said solemnly. "It's easy to be angry at your father for not being there for you throughout your life, but I don't know Lewyn very well. I don't know how severe his memory problems are. I don't know what he faces on his journeys. For all I know, he might be avoiding you in an attempt to protect you. It's not my place to tell you how to feel about it."  
"I'm sorry, too." Arthur laughed weakly. "Here I am, talking about being with my family to a girl whose mother is probably dead and whose father is definitely dead."

Arthur stood there for a few seconds before joking,  
"If you'd like, I could share my father with you?"

The two of them laughed quiet, awkward laughs before falling silent once more. They stared at each other for a moment before slowly pulling the other into a hug.

"I guess I'll see you around?" Arthur asked as he released Nanna from the hug.  
"Well, we _are_ both part of the liberation army." Nanna smirked back. "We should see each other plenty. Assuming, of course, we both stay alive."  
"I hope you're not implying I'm going to get myself killed, Princess Nanna of Nordion."  
"My lips are sealed, Prince Arthur of Silesse."

\--------------------------------------

Nanna watched Leif take Fee into an embrace that was far too intimate to be platonic and looked away as she began to prepare the meat for dinner.

"Care to have the assistance of a fellow member of the Broken Hearts Club?" Nanna turned to see Arthur with his hair tied back and his sleeves rolled up. "I mean, I already volunteered for cooking duty, so I'll be helping even if you do."

Nanna didn't want to smile, but she felt the corners of her mouth rise as she sighed anyway. She told Arthur to take another chunk of meat and follow her lead. For a moment, they cut the meat in silence as Nanna waited for Arthur bring up the elephant in the room. Surprisingly, however, Arthur remained silent throughout the preparations. Nanna wasn't sure what to make of it, but she knew that one of them had to say something.

"I guess I just... sort of just assumed that we'd get together someday." She finally took the plunge and spoke as they prepared to take the meat to the fire. "One day I would tell him how I felt, he'd accept, and he'd make me his bride and queen when the war ended. And I guess I just sort of kept believing it even up to the very last minute."  
"...You've got more faith in him than I did in her." Nanna couldn't see the face he was making, but he looked down at the ground as he spoke. "I knew I was in trouble when I told her she was special, and she flew on to Leonster anyway."

He paused, before continuing.

"No, maybe I was already in trouble." He shook his head. "We made the decision to stick together throughout the war so we could find our siblings, but we just kept arguing about stupid things. She's a great friend, and I trust her completely, but maybe we just wouldn't have worked as a couple."  
"And maybe it was already impossible for me to stop being his "little sister"." Nanna mused. "Either way, we'll never know."

The two stopped talking for another few minutes before Arthur gave a more lighthearted sigh.

"It sucks." He groaned. "Part of me wants to go congratulate the happy couple, but another part of me says I'd just be a third wheel. I guess it's true that you lose your friends when you get married (or a lover, in this case)."  
"Cheer up, Arthur." Nanna felt herself chuckle. "You still have me. I could try stomping my feet when you say something dumb. Wait, then I wouldn't be able to stop."  
"So basically, you want me to be Leif for you?" Arthur snickered back.  
"Come now!" Nanna playfully scolded. "Prince Leif isn't an idiot, he's just... very impulsive and reckless."  
"And Fee isn't THAT short-tempered. She's just... not very patient with me."

The two laughed together for a moment before Nanna said quietly.

"Perhaps you should find a girl you can go a day without arguing with?"  
"And perhaps you can find a guy that won't rush in without thinking." Arthur chuckled once more.

For a split second, Nanna wondered if he was referring to himself with that suggestion, but she decided to brush it off. She'd just had her heart broken, after all.

\--------------------------------------  
"Sir Seliph, we can't find Teeny and-OH!" Nanna hurriedly turned around and closed the flap of the tent behind her. Well, that answered the question of where Teeny was. When she saw Arthur walking over to see what the noise was about, she mused that if a girl like Teeny could make her feelings known, then she really didn't have an excuse.  
\--------------------------------------

"I'm gonna kill him."  
"Arthur."  
"If he took advantage of her feelings, I'm going to blow him apart from the inside out."  
"Arthur."  
"I don't even care if he's the heir to Grannvale, if he laid a finger on her..."  
"Arthur!"  
"I mean, if they'd gotten together beforehand, I guess I couldn't complain, but he hasn't said anything about-"  
"Oh, for goodness sake."

Tired of his rambling, Nanna grabbed Arthur's shoulders and kissed him. It certainly got him to shut up, and within seconds Nanna felt his arms around her waist as he pulled her closer. His lips were soft, softer than Nanna had expected, and there was just a faint hint of mint from his tongue. Nanna hoped that her mouth tasted just as sweet to him as he finally pulled away.

"Better?" She asked sweetly.  
"Yeah, um..." Arthur looked away, his face red.  
"Was it good?" She asked, her own face beginning to flush.  
"Really good." Arthur nodded. "Better than I imagined it would be."  
"I see. I'm glad to hear that." Nanna said warmly before adopting a coy smile. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in returning the favor?"

Arthur's face turned even redder, but it soon broke out into a grin as he pulled her closer to comply with her request.

\--------------------------------------  
"Take care of yourself out here, okay Nanna?" Arthur said suddenly as they marched toward Freege.

Nanna paused and gave him a curious look, wondering why he was saying this out of nowhere.

"I'm doing just fine, Arthur. You're the one I'm worried about." She sighed. "You're going to be confronting the woman who hurt your mother and sister. Are you okay?"  
"I'm... okay." He smiled weakly. "I guess I'm just a little worried about what will happen after we kill her. The only remaining family Teeny and I have left on our mother's side (besides Amid and Linda) is Ishtar, and I doubt she'll stand down. And after that, we'll need to take down Julius, but then what?"  
"You're worried about what to do with your life after the war ends." Nanna said gently. "I think a lot of us are, given that we've spent most of our lives preparing for this. The only thing set in stone is you taking me as your bride at some point. Or have you already forgotten?"

Her tone is playful, and Arthur can't help but smile back.

"Thanks, Nanna." He chuckled back as he took her hand into his. "I'm glad you're here with me."  
"And I always will be."  
\--------------------------------------  
They had won. Loptyr fell once more, and the Grannvale Empire fell with it. Citizens from all over Jugdral arrived as the celebration lasted nearly a week. Seliph had been instated as the new king, and soon the rest of Jugdral would see the return of their rightful rulers. As days passed, Nanna saw more and more of their comrades depart for their homelands until only a handful of people remained. The day after Oifey left for Chalphy, Arthur made the decision to return to Silesse with his father. Nanna, of course, chose to accompany them. Seliph remarked that it was a relief to know that she was going with them, and asked her to work together with Arthur to rebuild Silesse's might. No sooner had she agreed that Lewyn spoke up, asking her to take care of Arthur and that he didn't intend to return with them.

Arthur pleaded with his father to return home with him, saying that Silesse needed him, that Arthur needed him. But Lewyn was unmoved, and just as Nanna was about to say something, Lewyn said something strange.

"You already know exactly why I'm doing this, don't you, Arthur?"

For a moment, Arthur looked confused. Before long, however, his gaze moved to the Forseti tome in his hand, and his eyes soon turned wide. He looked at his father again, eyes pleading with him to say something, though Nanna wasn't sure what it was he wanted him to say.

"Father..."

Lewyn slowly looked away and told them to leave, and Arthur finally nodded, asking Nanna to come along, only giving Lewyn one last hug (which Lewyn reluctantly returned) before they did. As they departed Belhalla, Nanna looked back and wondered what that was all about. Arthur, with tears in his eyes, told her that he would explain what was going on when they got to Silesse. Nanna gently reached her hand toward his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Arthur squeezed back, as if in thanks.

**Author's Note:**

> This one was a bit trickier for me, since Arthur and Nanna have no lover conversations. You could call this the Arthur version of Fractured Memory, since it references an incident that I mentioned in that story. It's also kind of an expansion of it, since it shows Lewyn's possession by Forseti from the perspective of the child that recognizes him.
> 
> Incidentally, the scene with Teeny was inspired by the Nea Fuyuki manga.
> 
> I'd like to write something about Nanna's parents, since I love the idea of Lachesis and Nanna both falling in love with someone they hadn't expected to.


End file.
